Device for removing insulant from wires



Dec. 27, 1966 R. A. ADAMSON ETAL 3,293,956

DEVICE FOR REMOVING INSULANT FROM WIRES Filed April 15, 1965 WWI/Woks United States Patent 3,293,956 DEVICE FOR REMOVING INSULANT FROM WIRES Robert A. Adarnson, 35 Courtfield Rise, West Wickham, England, and Colin P. Adamson, Monorest, Westerham Road, Biggin Hill, England Filed Apr. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 447,702 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 14, 1964, 15,367/ 64 3 Claims. (Cl. 81-95) This invention relates to a wire and insulant stripper for the removal of the part of an insulating cover from the end of an insulating wire, thus to leave a bare end, wire part for electrical connection.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a device for removing insulant, which device is easy to use and can be manufactured cheaply. Another object of the invention is to provide a device in which there is little likelihood of damage to the wire. A further object is to provide a device which can be constructed for operation at normal mains voltage, although low voltage operation also is contemplated The stripper according to this invention is easily manufactured in that the body with its assembly and handle can consist of a small electric soldering iron as is normally used as a wiremans soldering iron. The stripper includes relatively pivoting jaws between which a wire end can be gripped, and the additional parts, over a soldering iron, and their construction and assembly, enabling the stripper to be manufactured easily.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of the wire stripper with the blades closed,

FIGURE 2 an elevation from the side opposite to that shown in FIGURE 1 with the blades open, and

FIGURE 3 is atop view.

As shown in the drawings, the device consists of a rodlike body 16) having an electric resistance wire assembly therein, this being of conventional form, the body being carried by a handle 11 conveniently of tubular form, with connecting wires 12 to the assembly brought out through the handle. The assembly is preferably energised by the normal mains supply, and with the body consists of a small electric soldering iron with the bit end cut oil square. Bowed guard wires 22 extend between the handle 11 and a bit end a of the body 10 and serve to prevent accidental touching, in use, of the hot body 10 by an operator. The upper or bit end 10a of the body is of circular cross-section, and has a tubular socket 13 fixed thereon. On the end of the socket is a fixed flat jaw blade 14. A second socket or tubular member 13a is secured along its outer surface to the outer surface of the fixed socket 13, either by brazing or the two sockets could be made integrally. The two sockets are arranged with their axes parallel. The second socket 13a receives a rod therein so as to serve as a bearing therefor, and on the upper end of this rod 15 a second flat blade 14a is fixed. The two blades are in parallel and closely adjacent planes. The lower end of the rod 15 projects below its socket 13a and one end of a springy thin link rod or wire 16 is secured thereto.

The handle 11 has a bracket or plate 17 secured thereto, and the link rod or wire 16 passes through a guide member 17a formed by a lug on the bracket or plate, the other end of the link rod 16a being secured to the bottom of the bracket or plate. The link rod or wire has a finger pad 18 extending laterally therefrom, the wire being formed as a laterally projecting loop 16b at this point through which a stud of the pad 18 is secured. The arrangement is such that when the handle is held in a hand the pad is positioned conveniently to be pressed laterally with respect to the axis of the handle and body. In fact, the pad 18, when moved, tends to rotate about an axis approximately defined by the relatively straight portions of the wire 16. Normally (when unpressed) the moving blade is at an acute angle with respect to the fixed blade (FIGURE 2). The pad is moved against the torsional resilience of the link wire 16 to close theblades to a slightly overlapping position. The facing edges of the blades are notched or cut away as at N, Na, to provide a location to press on and locate a wire end between the notches. When pressure is released, the blades open apart due to the spring torsion of the link rod or wire.

When an insulated wire W is gripped between the blades (FIGURE 1) heat conducted to the blades melts or softens the insulant so that by pulling the wire up in relation to the blades, the insulant from the wire below the blades is removed. This is shown in FIGURE 1, but the insulant is not removed until the wire is pulled.

It will be appreciated that other forms of link coupling can be provided. In the example above described, the lower part of the link rod serves as a spring, but other forms of spring return could be provided. The plate conveniently (and as shown) consists of a blade part secured to and running along the handle, with a turned-out upper end forming the guide member.

The lower end of the second socket has a cut-away part 20, the rod having a stop 21. This arrangement is to limit the closing movement of the blades by the stop hearing on the edge 20a of the cut-away, and it can also limit opening movement by bearing on the edge 20b. The torsion or spring arrangement of the rod 16 is such that a cushioning eifect on the gripped wire is provided, this being such that an effective grip, without damage to the wire, is obtained.

The assembly of sockets and blades must be such that effective heat conduction to the blades is obtained.

Essentially, the device according to this invention, consists of a single electrically heated rod-like body, with a handle at one end and a pair of blades pivoted to close and open, heat from the body being conducted to the blades so as to melt plastic insulant on a wire gripped therebetween, opening and closing of the blades being under the control of a pad or the like mounted so as to be manipulated by a finger or the thumb of a hand gripping the handle.

We claim:

1. A wire end insulant stripper comprising a rod-like 'body containing a heating element, a handle secured to one end of said body, a mounting unit secured to the other end of said body, said mounting unit having closely adjacent parallel bores in a first of which bores said other end of said body is received, a first wire insulant stripping blade secured to said unit so as to close an open end of said first bore and projecting laterally from said unit, an axle rotatably mounted in a second of said bores and carrying a second wire insulant stripping blade secured to and projecting laterally from said axle, said second blade being movable into overlying relation to said first blade on rotation of said axle and said blades having co-operating notches for engaging wire insulant, a finger operable member mounted on said handle, and a resilient torsion like connected at one end to said finger operable member, and at the other end of said axle, said torsion link resiliently maintaining said second blade in non-overlapping relation to said first blade until said finger operable member is depressed.

2. A wire end insulant stripper according to claim 1, wherein said mounting unit has a cut-away in the region of said second bore, and said axle has stop means to limit rotational movement thereof in said second bore.

3. A wire end insulant stripper according to claim 1, wherein said torsion link comprises a resilient wire connected axially to said axle at one end and twisted around said finger operable member, a free end of said resilient wire being connected to said handle so as to provide a further torsion link against the resilience of which said finger operable member is movable.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,049,956 1/1913 Wheeler 8l346 X 1,607,766 11/ 1926 McGarvey 294-30 3,080,469 3/1963 Benoit 819.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 581,618 10/1946 Great Britain. 922,734 4/ 1963 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A WIRE END INSULANT STRIPPER COMPRISING A ROD-LIKE BODY CONTAINING A HEATING ELEMENT, A HANDLE SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID BODY, A MOUNTING UNIT SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID BODY, SAID MOUNTING UNIT HAVING CLOSELY ADJACENT PARALLEL BORES IN A FIRST OF WHICH BORES SAID OTHER END OF SAID BODY IS RECEIVED, A FIRST WIRE INSULANT STRIPPING BLADE SECURED TO SAID UNIT SO AS T CLOSE AN OPEN END OF SAID FIRST BORE AND PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM SAID UNIT, AN AXLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN A SECOND OF SAID BORES AND CARRYING A SECOND WIRE INSULANT STRIPPING BLADE SECURED TO AND PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM SAID AXLE, SAID SECOND BLADE BEING MOVABLE INTO OVERLYING RELATION TO SAID FIRST BLADE ON ROTATION OF SAID AXLE AND SAID BLADES HAVING CO-OPERATING NOTCHES FOR ENGAGING WIRE INSULANT, A FINGER OPERABLE MEMEBR MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE, AND A RESILIENT TORSION LIKE CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID FINGER OPERABLE MEMBER, AND AT THE OTHER END OF SAID AXLE, SAID TORSION LINK RESILIENTLY MAINTAINING SAID SECOND BLADE IN NON-OVERLAPPING RELATION TO SAID FIRST BLADE UNTIL SAID FINGER OPERABLE MEMBER IS DEPRESSED. 